Of Cats and Their Hatters
by Cheshire Swift
Summary: Hatter knows a thing or two about liking people... But how? HatterxOC-Cheshire Katte
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Because Dinah the Cat posing as the Cheshire Cat for two seconds in the entire miniseries did not satisfy me nor do the Cat justice, I've created myself a Cheshire Cat character and inputted her into _Alice_. This is what happens before Alice is even involved with Jack and before the story happens.**

**CHAPTER ONE.**

_"I know a thing or two about liking people, " he had told Alice, "and in time, after much chocolate and cream cake, 'like' turns into 'what was his name again?'". It pained him to say it as he held out his hand for her to skirt past the thin strip of sidewalk. His mind wandered off to better times, times where he didn't have anything hanging over his head and he almost forgot Alice was even there._

The woods would have been silent if it was not for the psychotic cackling of a young woman riding upon the back of the Jabberwock. The purple clad female held on for dear life as the beast thundered through the forest, howling in rage. "Onward my faithful steed!" she shouted, tugging on the Jabberwock's feelers and using them as reins. The creature bucked and tried to throw her off, but he only succeeded in making her pull harder on his feelers and infuriating him more.

She held on for dear life as the monster hurled itself at the ground and rolled over. Thankfully she was seated on his neck so she was able to scramble out of the way of the gigantic body attempting to crush her to a pulp. Pressing herself up against a tree and trying to settle down her throbbing heart, she nearly leapt out of her skin when someone spoke behind her.

"You should really be more careful, Miss Cheshire," a young man said. "You're no good to the Resistance if you're hurt." She whirled around and socked whoever it was behind her in the gut. The man's hat fell off his head as he doubled over in pain and the first thing he did was snatch it up and dust it off.

"Asshole, don't ever sneak up on me like that. Now who the hell are you?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think and she held out her hand as a peace offering. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her outstretched hand. "Hatter. You can call me Hatter…" he said, tentatively shaking it. Cheshire's glare turned into a toothy grin as she let her arm swing back to her side. The Jabberwock's angry cries resonated through the forest and the two of them cringed.

"Aah… Miss Cheshire? I think it would be a good time to leave now…" He adjusted the fedora atop his head, offered her his arm and watched her grin morph back into a scowl. Cheshire tugged on the sleeves of her black and purple striped sweater before marching off towards the outskirts of the wood. Hatter let out an exasperated sigh, shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather blazer and trudged off after her. "And I thought the girls loved that sort of thing…" he mumbled.

"What was that, Hatter?" she said, to which he only shook his head and said, "Nothin'…" She continued on her way with Hatter behind her, not even looking back once.

_Look at her walking with her head held high like she owns Wonderland… Who does she think she is? And that silly cat-eared hat she's wearing… And her obsession with the color purple…Absolutely insane, just like the rest of the Katte family. I don't _have_ to protect her, but Dodo will have my head if something happens to her. And it doesn't help that she's got more power over me than Dodo ever will just because she's at the top of the Resistance. Dodo practically licks the floor she and her family walk on, but those damn Katte's are so hard to please…_

Hatter stopped his mental monologue and pulled himself back into reality quick enough to not tread on Cheshire's feet as she stopped at the edge of the forest and turned around to see if Hatter was still following her. "Where to, Hatter?" she asked, bending over to adjust her violet boots, amusing herself with the silver studs scattered around them. Hatter tilted his hat over his eyes and gestured towards the river. "And while you're showing me the way, you might as well tell me how you found me. I know Dodo sent you and he knows my answer is no. I refuse to help him."

"Well then, Miss Cheshire," Hatter said, storming in front of her, "You can tell him yourself. I'm no one's carrier pigeon and I didn't come all this way to just get you to say 'no.'" Hatter's eyes clouded over in fury. Who the hell did she think she was? Did she not realize how much the Queen of Hearts wanted her beheaded? "The Queen of Wonderland knows how much you know about everything and she can use all her resources to find you, torture you and kill you as soon as she gets all the information she needs. The Resistance is nothing without you and Dodo wants you protected."

"So they only want to protect me because I'm useful to them? What if the Queen just caught me and I wasn't one of the Katte prodigies. Would Dodo still send me a personal bodyguard?" Cheshire snapped. Hatter was silent and she scoffed. "Now tell me, why should I even go with you then?"

"Because the Queen has eyes and ears everywhere. You're not safe in these woods anymore, and I don't care what you say right now. My job is to get you back to safety whether you're in possession of all earthly knowledge or not. Dodo's exact words were 'Find Miss Cheshire Katte in the Tulgey Wood and bring her back safe and sound.' Do you think I'd lie to you?" Her glare softened and she turned away from him to look out past the river.

_What am I going to do? There's no changing who I am and what was set down for me by my family._ "No, I'm sorry. Forgive my rudeness." _Why am I apologizing to him? I could take care of myself without his help…_ "I'm just a bit upset that Dodo doesn't care for me except for the fact that I'm a Katte." _I don't need to explain myself to him. But why am I? Because he's mildly attractive and I haven't been in contact with another human for three years… Perfect…_

"In that case I'll accept your apology. Let's move on, shall we?" He mock-bowed, sweeping his hat off his head and offered her his arm again. She rolled her eyes, hooked her arm in his and followed Hatter to a small motorboat at the riverbank. He helped her in and as she unzipped her sweater just a bit as to not overheat, Hatter revved up the engine and sped away across the water. Cheshire pressed up against Hatter from behind. "How far away are we from where we're heading?" He shrugged.

"Not too far… Just up the river and into the outskirts of the city…" Hatter clenched the steering wheel of the boat harder. _These women and their mood swings… First she's yelling at me and now she's all over me… _"Don't you worry your pretty little blonde head about it, Miss Cheshire. We'll get there in no time." Cheshire twirled her finger in one of the dirty blonde braids hanging off either side of her head and leaned back in the seat. "After we talk to Dodo we can arrange for you to stay somewhere." He had to keep himself talking about the matter at hand or his mind would wander, and God forbid he let his mind wander…

"Dodo can stick what he thinks up where the Wonderland sun doesn't shine…" A smile teased the corners of Hatter's mouth as she continued to rant. "I didn't ask for this responsibility. I don't want it… I was perfectly content when Nana Cheshire was the only one who actually knew how to use the ring. When she died, my mother took up the secrets and she told me that when she passed on she'd give me her ring and it would let me know what I was supposed to do. Unfortunately, the Queen of Hearts tore the ring from her fingers and sent her off to be beheaded, leaving me with absolutely nothing. I barely know the ancient language to control the ring." Hatter breathed out deeply.

"But you don't seem to realize that since you know all the inner workings of the Heart's Casino and aren't working for the Queen, she'll do everything she can to reel you in and force you to bend to her will. She's absolutely ruthless and has no remorse whatsoever. That's why we're trying to protect you; because you are in danger and the Resistance looks out for its own!" She slunk back to her little corner of the seat and drew her knees up to her chest. The only reason Cheshire had hidden herself in the Tulgey Wood was to avoid confrontation. The Queen of Hearts would have nothing to do with a forest whose ruler was the Jabberwock and Dodo wouldn't even bother looking there. Cheshire's verdant eyes narrowed questioningly as she stared at the straw hat threateningly lurching on Hatter's head every time the wind shifted. His hand unclenched itself from the steering wheel of the boat and reached up to adjust his hat back to its original placement. She chuckled to herself and reached out to grab his hat off his head.

"Ah ah ah. I have eyes in the back of my head. The hat is mine." Hatter's fingers held on to the brim as Cheshire's hand grazed the material. She huffed in mock anger and put her legs up on the seat next to her. Her attention immediately turned to the studs on her boots and she let out a content purr from the back of her throat. Hatter turned around and said, "What the bloody hell was that?" She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "What? You've never heard anyone purr before?" He shrugged and turned his attention back to the river.

The dock was still far away and Hatter had no intention to start up conversation with the girl. It would all end up in an argument and he'd prefer to remain with his head intact. _She's too feisty for her own good. The smallest things amuse her and the smallest things set off some strange female angst that is stored away until the most inopportune moments… It may be best to let her take it all out on Dodo and then if she gets out of it with all her limbs attached I'll have her stay in my Tea Shop. She can't be out wandering with all of the Queen's spies everywhere. Not even Caterpillar can keep her completely safe now that she's the only one of the Katte's left._

He blinked a few times, scattering the thoughts ravaging his mind. _These mental rants need to stop, I'm over thinking everything._ She noticed his twitching and prodded him in the back a few times. "Hatter, don't be having a seizure while you're driving this thing…" He sniffed and swerved the motorboat into the docking point and stepped off to tie it to a post. He then extended his hand to help her out, but she took a flying leap from the back of the shotgun seat, landing on all fours beside him. Hatter let out the breath he drew in as soon as soon as she leapt and sat down on the post to recuperate from the shock while Cheshire stood up, looking insanely proud of herself.

"Let's not do that again, shall we Miss Cheshire?" He reached out to put his hand on the small of her back to guide her but let it drop almost immediately. _No use touching her, she might make a big fuss about it._ Cheshire adjusted the hat atop her head and turned around to face him.

"To hell with this 'Miss' crap. I'm no better than you are and you know it," she said, eyes glittering with defiance. Hatter took a step back and raised his hands up. "Listen… Cheshire. You've got to realize that everyone in the Resistance will put you as high on a pedestal as they can. The 'Miss' is inevitable. I've been raised with a sense of chivalry so it's simply reactionary for me. If you don't like it, I won't say it but don't expect anyone else to not treat you like a goddess." Cheshire shrugged, turned on her heel and walked up the dock. "Wasting my words, that's what I'm doing…"

"What was that, Hatter?" He looked up from under the brim of his hat. "Nothin'." The right corner of her mouth turned up in a half smile as she continued to walk. He shook his head and jogged to catch up with her. "Mi- Cheshire, slow down. You don't even know where we're going." She stopped to look back at him over her shoulder.

"Well you'll just have to catch me then!" With a maniacal laugh, Cheshire took off running towards the seemingly abandoned buildings, kicking up clouds of dust with every step. _What a fast little bugger,_ Hatter thought, taking off after her. The dust caught in his shaggy black hair and settled on his paisley shirt as he ran through the clouds she created. With almost feline-like grace, Cheshire used all her momentum to jump up and grab the branches of a scraggly tree. She crawled up to the topmost branches and looked down at Hatter. Like a dog chasing a cat, he attempted to reach the lowest branch and failed miserably. She cackled and dropped down a few branches until she was on the branch Hatter was trying to reach.

"Get down from there and stop messing around. It's not safe for you."She huffed and fluidly dropped from the branch, landing at Hatter's feet. "Killjoy…" she mumbled and let him lead her to a door a few yards away. The paint was peeling and the bricks in the wall were wearing down. She pressed her finger against the door and almost immediately a pair of eyes appeared in a hole.

"How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail…" the eyes asked. Hatter nudged Cheshire aside and glared angrily at the eyes. "You change the secret code _after_ I leave on Dodo's mission? How the hell am I supposed to know what the damn code phrase is?"

"Hatter, can I…" Cheshire interjected. "Not right now, Cheshire. It's not like you'd know it anyway." He clenched his teeth, preparing for a sharp blow to the head. That was definitely not the right thing to tell her. She growled and gave Hatter a hard shove.

"He pours the waters of the Nile on every golden scale." She shot Hatter a smoldering glare and stepped back to allow the door to swing open. Hatter winced as Cheshire stormed past him into the hallway, following a gangly old man to a tram-like contraption. Hatter made to sit down next to Cheshire, but she put her feet up on the seat beside her, daring him to come any closer. His apologetic look failed to meet hers as she looked out the window to watch the tram descend down the shaft.

"Listen, Cheshire," Hatter pleaded, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything. There was just no logical way you could have known the password if you were trapped in a forest for three years!" He tugged awkwardly on his jacket as she continued to ignore him. _This is killing me… What an explosive little lady she is. _The tram jolted to a stop in front of a pair of ancient doors. Cheshire climbed over the divider between the seats and the door and waited for the driver to open the door. As the metal contraption slid aside, the decrepit doors did too and Cheshire was greeted face to face with a gun wielding old woman with huge owl-eyed glasses.

"We've been waiting for you, dear," the woman said, dropping the gun she had cocked at eye level. Cheshire raised an eyebrow. "The name's Owl, that back there is Duck. Dodo's been very impatient." Owl stared accusingly at Hatter and he ducked behind Cheshire.

"Don't kill me, Owl, ma'am. I had to stalk the Jabberwock in order to find her!" She dismissed him and led the pair down an extravagant hallway. Elaborate paintings of Wonderland's better days hung on the walls, worn with age and peeling in corners. The crimson tapestries between paintings contrasted with the polished golden frames and the chandelier hung low from the ceiling. Cheshire's anger turned into curiosity as she leaned over the edge of the barrier to see stacks of books and newspapers creating a living space for the few down there.

"Hatter, Hatter! What is this place?" she asked, eyes twinkling with eagerness. He put his hand on the small of her back to prevent her from jumping over the barrier, or any other feline thing she might do and said, "The Great Library. Everything is hidden here for fear of the Queen of Hearts destroying it. Refugees stay there and we offer hospitality if we need to." Her heart melted when she saw a young boy, no older than seven years old, supporting his mother as they walked across piles of paper to get closer to the fireplace.

Owl prodded Hatter with the butt of her gun and Hatter turned to walk down the hall once more. Cheshire took another look at the small community down below and ran after them. She tripped on the carpet and grabbed on to the back of Hatter's jacket as she fell to the floor, bringing him down with her. Duck turned back and let out a quiet chuckle and kept walking. Hatter jumped to his feet and held out his hand for Cheshire, but once again she found it necessary to do a somersault and land on her feet before standing up. He huffed and kept walking, expecting her to blow up on him again for some unnecessary reason.

"Hatter, Hatter wait up!" she said, skipping over and linking arms with him. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's _wrong_? You're just so bi-polar and I don't know how to handle this. It's not every day I have to spend so much time with such an insane girl." He adjusted the hat on his head with his free hand, ignoring the questioning stare burning into him from his right side. Cheshire growled before bursting out laughing. "Hatter, I'm the maddest one in my family. Utterly deranged, mind you. You've just got to learn to cope with my mood swings and we'll be good." He sighed and looked down at her.

"And if I don't?"

"Let's just say madness mixed with estrogen won't make things easy on any of us if you don't learn to deal with me." Hatter gagged. _She just referenced her lady time, didn't she? Ew._ Owl snapped him out of his mental disgust and said, "Dodo has been waiting for a long time. It would be wise to not anger him while you're in there." She knocked three times on a door which seemed to lead to a broom closet. It swung open, revealing a portly old man of about fifty years.

"Miss Cheshire, how nice to see you again."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO.**

"Again? Dodo, what the bloody blazes are you talking about?" Hatter questioned. Dodo paid no attention to him and welcomed Cheshire with open arms. She furrowed her brow and refused to step any closer. She didn't recall who this man was or where she'd ever seen him before, so she chose to press herself against Hatter. He instinctively snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"It's as if you two were made to stand together like that. You fit perfectly!" mused Owl from behind them. Cheshire vainly attempted to stop her blush from forming, and Hatter's shadow conveniently fell over her face, but Duck flipped a light switch, illuminating all twenty lamps in the room. Dodo grinned and offered her a seat. Hatter sat on the armrest of the armchair she sat down in, keeping a hand on her shoulder. He could sense how tense she was and it was unsettling.

"She doesn't remember me, naturally. Last time I saw her she was a tiny little baby still in her mother's arms living happily in the Casino." Dodo leaned against his desk, beckoning for Owl and Duck to lock the door. What seemed like a broom cupboard was now a fully illuminated study full of books and various metal contraptions. "Now, tell me Miss Cheshire, how much do you know about the inner workings of the Hearts Casino?" Cheshire looked up at Hatter, who nodded urgently.

"I know absolutely everything; I was trapped there for the longest time before I escaped. But I trust you know the gist of it anyway."

"But do you know how you can possibly get the ring back?"

"No, but I know that it is a Katte's duty to protect the ring. Since the dawn of the Stone, the Kattes and the Hearts lived in harmony, with the Katte's protecting the Stone from all harm. The current Queen does not know how to use it and risks destroying Wonderland if it ever destroys the Looking Glass's magic. Knowing how secure the Casino is, we might not be able to get the ring back for quite some time, and by that point the ring will be in the hands of her son, Jack."

Dodo hissed angrily. "By that point, we'll have been finished recruiting her son to our cause and have him handle the ring." Cheshire's face was flushing with anger.

"Right now, I'm the only living person who knows how to handle the ring and –"

"So it is your duty to get the ring back into the hands of your family. The fate of Wonderland depends on you." She let out an angry hiss from the back of her throat.

"There _is_ no family. There's just me. That's what I mean by 'only living person.' Everyone else is dead." He ignored her anger and said, "Then the rest of your duty is to make more. Reproduce, as you say." Cheshire's hiss escalated into a snarl. "I know you probably have some girlish fantasy about falling in love with the _right_ man and having his children and all, but that doesn't matter now. You need to just have at least one descendant before you're old or captured so you can teach them."

"I –" Dodo cut her off with a flourish of his hand. She looked up at Hatter in disbelief. Was he really going to do this to her? Hatter's hand squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. His gaze drifted down, meeting hers. The two of them shared silent confusion and Dodo burst in once again. "You may as well just use Hatter for it. Not like he serves any purpose to the Resistance anyway, he could be useful for something."

"I'm INFERTILE!" she shrieked as Hatter's hand dropped from her shoulder.

"That was too far, Dodo. Who do you think you are, telling her to submit to demands like this? She's not your little plaything. Why I oughta – " Cheshire placed a hand on his knee, squeezing it warningly. Hatter paused mid-rant to catch his breath. Dodo squinted as he scrutinized Hatter, looking at Cheshire and back to him.

"You're both dismissed. Do as you please. The Resistance has no further need for Miss Katte." Cheshire stood up and walked towards the door, turning to make sure Hatter was coming too. Hatter and Dodo stood at the center of the room, each giving the other the dirtiest look possible. She cleared her throat and Hatter shook his head, storming past her and shoving the door open. He held it for her and as she skirted out past the doorframe, Hatter slammed it shut. He absentmindedly grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the tram.

"Hatter. Hatter. HATTER!" she shouted. "You're pulling my arm out of my socket, slow down!" He stopped rushing and dropped her hand, grabbing on to her shoulders instead.

"He should not have been treating you like that. You're worth so much more than he is to the world and I don't want you to take anything he said to heart. Understand?" He slammed his fist against a column and a chunk of it crashed to the ground at their feet. Cheshire grinned up at him and shrugged, walking towards the tram. The silence that followed broke Hatter's heart. He couldn't believe how nonchalant she was about the ordeal. Dodo had just told her she was worthless to the reconstruction of Wonderland and she took everything with a smile. "I will never, _ever_, understand women…"

"What was that, Hatter?" She was standing in the doorway of the tram, kicking her leg back and forth.

"Nothin'." He shook his head at her once more and followed her into the contraption. Hatter hit a blue button and the door closed, sending the tram skyrocketing upwards until it stopped at the doorway to the outside world. Cheshire blocked the doorway when he tried to get off. "Where to?" He shrugged and stood up from the driver's seat. _Anywhere but here,_ he thought, nudging her towards the exit. "I'm not letting you get off until I know where we're going."

His frustration mixed with her persistence was about to make him boil over, but Hatter kept his composure to prevent another physical attack from Cheshire. She stood in the doorway, narrowing her green eyes at him while he tried to come up with a safe place to have her stay. "You have nothing to your name but the clothes on your back, yet Dodo will leave you to die because you are of no use to him anymore…" Hatter mumbled. Cheshire said nothing and continued to stare at him, waiting for a location to be named.

"My Tea Shop! You can stay there for a little while until we find somewhere more secure."

"You're only saying that so we can get a move on…" Hatter smirked and said, "You don't trust me?" She shook her head but moved aside to let him off the tram. As soon as the two of them were out on the streets of the abandoned city, Hatter paused to grab her by the shoulder. "Will you tell me how you knew the bloody password?" She raised an eyebrow, tugging awkwardly at the belt loops on her pants.

"My mom used to tell me a poem with that line in it before I went to bed at night." Hatter took that as his cue to end the conversation. "Listen lo-, Cheshire, you have no clothes." She looked down at the sweater she was wearing and sighed. She _had_ grown out of the clothes she had in the woods for three years and what she had on now needed a good washing. Cheshire looked up at the sky.

"I _could_ technically break into my old apartment and steal a shit-ton of clothes…"

"The Red Queen's definitely got that under high surveillance." Cheshire scoffed and said, "Then I have no clothes and nothing to buy more off the underground market with." Hatter groaned as she prodded him repeatedly in the stomach. He grabbed her hand and lingered on it for a while before letting it swing back to her side. She looked him dead in the eye and while he gazed back at her in confusion, Cheshire attempted to knock his hat off his head. He knocked her arm away but instead she wrapped it around his neck, giving him a hug. Hatter, still a bit confused, pulled her closer.

"Let's go back to my place, you can take a bath and we can wash your clothes. Deal?" She tore the porkpie hat from his head, broke from his embrace and skipped a few steps away.

"Deal." He whimpered pathetically, patting his head and feeling the lack of hat. "Aww, poor Hatter. You look cute with hat hair though. I might keep this." He scowled as she grinned, directing her in the direction of his Tea Shop. She held on to the hat tightly as he vainly attempted to catch her off guard and retrieve it. Cheshire relented only when they reached the door of the Tea Shop, which was nothing more than an iron door in a brick wall. She raised an eyebrow and flinched as Hatter's hand made contact with her own. His fingers curled around hers before she had a chance to draw away, and she growled.

"Just hold on, okay? It doesn't look like much now, but it's a dangerous place to get lost in…" He urgently tightened his grip and she stopped resisting, thrusting her free hand deep into her sweater pocket. Hatter pushed the door open and pulled her inside, slamming it shut behind them. Cheshire's eyes widened as she inhaled the strong scent of tea, but not just any tea. Emotion Tea, Wonderland's specialty. Her head was already reeling, though she had not had any to drink and she followed Hatter as he dragged her through the shop to a back door. They pushed through throngs of people, all of them standing motionless, holding porcelain cups of tea. He nodded to a mousy looking fellow half-asleep behind a podium and led Cheshire through to the next room. The scent of Emotion Tea was almost nullified by the musky, woodsy scent overpowering the room. Hatter dropped her hand and motioned for her to sit on the couch in front of a glass desk, which he leaned back against.

"It's not much, but it's home." Cheshire inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, attempting to clear her head. "You've never been around that much Tea, have you? Those people out there are addicted to it and they stay down here in this little black market because they can't get enough Ecstasy, Lust, or whatever it is they need." She opened her eyes and he held out yet another porcelain cup on a saucer. She eyed it cautiously and he chuckled, assuring her that it was in fact regular Earl Grey Tea. Cheshire took it from him and downed it, ignoring the scalding sensation in her throat. He watched her curiously as she struggled to get every last drop out of the cup before handing it back.

"So, you said I could stay here for a while?" she asked, looking around the room. Like Hatter said, it really wasn't much. Apart from the couch and the desk, there was a large chair, a wardrobe and a few patches of grass with odd little flowers. He nodded and got up, placed the cup on the desk and walked over to a door that Cheshire had not seen earlier. He pulled the door open, revealing a small room with nothing more than an unfolding couch, an armchair and a nightstand. "Here, to be exact."

Cheshire looked at him questioningly. "Then where will you sleep?" He motioned to the large spinning chair behind the desk and said no more. Inhaling deeply, Cheshire entered the room. It smelled like him… Leather and cologne. As she stood in the doorway, Hatter produced a flannel button up shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Here, lo- …Cheshire, you can wear this while we soak your clothes." She eyed him curiously as he held out his hand. "Well, you don't expect me to strip with you standing there, do you?" she snickered, snatching the clothes away from him and pulling the door closed. She peeled off her clothing and swapped it for Hatter's offering. She looked out the tiny window; the Wonderland sun was high up in the sky and the clock on the wall chimed noon. Grabbing the pile of clothing she dropped on the floor, Cheshire opened the door and followed Hatter to his bathroom. He handed her soap and filled the basin with warm water. Cheshire dumped the clothes into the basin and began scrubbing vigorously, making sure everything was lathered in a thick layer of soap. The bar was almost gone and she attempted to rinse everything, only succeeding in spilling water out onto the floor.

"You alright there, dear?" he asked, hearing the water slosh to the ground and pried the door open. There stood Cheshire, sopping wet, attempting to strangle the sweater as if it were a wild animal. He burst into laughter and she hurled the sweater at him, glaring angrily. He took off his blazer and left it outside the bathroom, grabbing her sweater and throwing it back. Water sprayed everywhere as she lifted up a sock and slapped him with it. "Hey!" he shouted and stepped forward, grabbing her wrist. Hatter mis-stepped and slipped in a puddle, dragging Cheshire down with him. Caught completely off guard, Cheshire fell on top of Hatter's chest, kneeing him in the groin.

His cry of pain was muffled by her hand as she clapped her palm to his mouth. His eyes widened as she started smothering his face with kisses and squealed apologies, quickly picking herself up and holding out her hand to help him up. Hatter propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her quizzically.

"Sorry, love, but what the bloody fuck was that?" He grinned broadly as he watched her face flush from pink to beet red. She dropped her hand and stepped over him, leaving the bathroom. _Enough embarrassment for today, Cheshire… Let's not act on impulse anymore, _she thought, stepping back into his room and slamming the door shut. He sighed, picked himself up and reached for her clothes, wringing them out and carrying them to the back door. As soon as he opened it, a gust of wind reminded him that all he had to stand on was a ledge three feet wide. Hatter looked down into the abyss behind his apartment. Wonderland was structured in such an odd way that it seemed as if his apartment was on top of a huge cliff. He began to hang up her clothes on the line hanging from the wall, making sure they were in the strongest beams of sunlight and dried quickly.

"I'm going out to the Tea Shop, alright? Don't go anywhere." Hatter knocked briefly on her door. "I'm taking your silence as tacit compliance… alright?" He heard a muffled "Mhm…", turned and headed for the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE.**

**A/N: Thanks so much to _smiles2go_ for being my first reviewer! And thanks to Leiary Seiner for reading my drafts every so often.**** You're a gem.**

"Hatter! Join us, will you?" a busty blonde crooned as soon as Hatter stepped into the Tea Shop. The misty haze made her look as if she was gliding across the floor as she suddenly appeared at his side, smelling strongly of Emotion tea.

"Now, now, Gryphon, you seem to have had a little too much to drink." He tried to push her away as she flung her arms around his neck. Her knees buckled and Hatter grabbed her around the waist to keep her standing. Gryphon hiccupped and pulled Hatter down into one of the half-egg shaped chairs, clambering on to his lap. She knocked his hat off as she roughly twisted her fingers in his hair, bringing her face close to his. Hatter's eyes watered as the pungent taste of Lust met his lips with every one of Gryphon's exhalations. "Hatter… I've missed you." He attempted to grab his hat off the floor, but she pinned his arms to the armrests. "You don't come out here as often as you used to… Have you forgotten about me?"He shuddered as she ran her nails along his chest, trailing small spirals to match those on his paisley button down shirt. Hatter closed his eyes for a second and suddenly Gryphon's mouth came crashing down to meet his and he pushed her off of him entirely. He spun around in his chair to see Cheshire standing in the doorway leading to his office, staring directly at him with confusion burning in her eyes. He got up to walk towards her, but she bolted towards the exit, dropping her hat in the process.

But she did not turn back.

Cheshire shoved the iron doors open and kept running until she reached a lone tree leaning over the river. She wrapped her fingers around a low branch, using her feet to push herself up the trunk. Once she had clambered on to the branch, she continued climbing until she got halfway up the tree and sat down. She buried her face in the sleeves of the flannel shirt _he_ had given her. _His_ smell permeated her senses and made her mind grow fuzzy. She kicked her leg angrily against the trunk of the tree, chipping off small bits of bark and watching them fall into the water.

"You know, you should probably not hurt the poor tree. It didn't do anything to you." She whirled around to see who was behind her, only finding a slim, fancily dressed young man sitting on a branch below her. Her eyes widened and she leapt down nimbly to sit beside him.

"March…" The Queen of Hearts' adopted son. Cheshire's childhood friend. "What are you doing here?" She gave him a quick once-over. In the three years she'd been on the lam, March had grown into a fine young man. His round, boyish face that had once been framed by curtains of thick brown hair had thinned out, defining his cheekbones. As far as his hair, that had been cut short, just enough to look as if it was in a state of permanent casual disarray. His lean legs straddled a branch and Cheshire realized how tall he had gotten.

He placed his hand on her knee and she stiffened, tucking her leg under her body. March frowned and drew his hand back. "I came to look for you."

"And you coincidentally happened to find me?" she questioned, cocking her head in confusion. He nodded, smiling and extending his hand. Cheshire faltered as he gestured for her to come closer. He had always led her on horribly while they were living in the Casino. She'd fall for his incendiary charm over and over again but nothing would ever come of it. He'd often leave her alone at night to go out to Wonderland's flashy nightclubs.

But as her hand twitched in anticipation, she brought the flannel sleeve back up to her nose and inhaled. _Hatter_.

Almost instantly, she connected the smell that was once her aphrodisiac to the image of Hatter's face being… _swallowed_ by some strange blonde woman. She dropped her hand into March's and he urged her closer, placing his hand on her waist and pulling her into his lap. Unconsciously, her head fell against his neck and March smiled as his hand moved from her waist to the fingers of her free hand.

"I missed you, darling. You shouldn't have run off…" She felt uneasy as his hands made their way to her wrists. "I could have protected you from mumsy. She's quite harmless." March nudged Cheshire with his shoulder and she looked up at him.

"But you were the one who-" Before she could finish her retort, March's lips pressed against her so eagerly that she could almost taste the Passion on his –

Cheshire ripped her arms from his grasp and shoved him off. "You've been drinking."

"And?" he countered, leaning forwards again. Cheshire skillfully swung herself down to the branches below and began to ease herself out of the tree.

"And, you wouldn't be doing that if you were completely sober. So you can leave now, March. I'm not going back with you." She paused to fix her boot and March landed on all fours beside her before straightening back up.

"Mother had me train with her best trackers, you know. There's a reason I was able to find you so quickly." March narrowed his amber eyes as Cheshire glared at him.

"Or maybe it was sheer dumb luck that you found me in your latest hangout." He growled and reached out to grab her shoulder as she turned on her heel to stomp away. She shrugged it off and ran towards the Tea Shop door, leaving March standing under the tree with murder in his eyes. He attempted to walk after her, but the tea had kicked in, leaving him slightly dazed and confused.

If March had been following her, Cheshire didn't care. She slammed the door shut behind her and ran into Hatter's office. She stopped dead when she saw him sitting on his desk holding her hat in both hands and looking miserable.

"Oh. Hello," he mumbled, holding the hat out. She stood sheepishly in front of him for a while before disappearing into the bedroom, clicking the door shut behind her. "L- Chess..? Cheshire?"

Her silence bothered him. And it wasn't the kind of bothering where it would come and go every few seconds and he could dismiss it without care. It was the kind that tugged at whatever it was inside his chest cavity because he knew she was upset and he was more than likely the cause of it. Hatter knocked lightly on the door to her (_his_, he corrected himself) bedroom.

"G'way," she mumbled.

"I'm coming in." Hatter turned the knob and pushed, finding Cheshire lying in the fetal position in the center of the floor. The blankets were tossed carelessly into a corner and the desk had been overturned, the vase that was once on top lying in bits on the floor. She didn't move as he stepped over the glass shards and came closer to her. Hatter bent over to touch her and she curled up into a tighter ball.

"I said, go away."

He stood straight up and crossed his arms.

"Fine. I will. You try and help someone, but nothing is ever appreciated anymore." He turned to walk away, hoping she'd say something.

Silence.

Hatter sighed and closed the door behind him_. She's driving me to Wit's End, she is... _He sat down in the swivel chair behind his desk, putting his feet up on the crystaltabletop. He could hear her muffled sobs and wondered if she was still lying there on the floor. _Serves her right. Life is not all rainbows and happiness. She of all people should know._ He placed his hand over his eyes and sighed.

Cheshire's sobs grew louder and louder until they cut off completely and all he could hear was her choked up breathing settle down to an even pace. Hatter removed his hand to see Dormouse standing on the other end of his desk.

"Is she..?" Hatter shrugged. "Well, I need to talk to you about some Shop related things…" Dormouse held out a folder of papers and left it on Hatter's desk to look over.

"Come back after we close up shop, alright? I want someone there to make sure Gryphon doesn't… Do anything bad." Dormouse nodded sleepily, yawned, and went back outside. Hatter flipped through the papers and pushed them to the side of his desk, covering his face with his porkpie hat and leaning back in his chair.

He had not realized that he'd fallen asleep, and for a couple hours at that. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got up to check on Cheshire. He creaked the door open slightly, letting a streak of light enter the room.

She had moved from the floor and to the bed, but the blankets were still in a pile on the other end of the room. She had also taken her clothes back from the line outside and left his flannel and sweatpants sprawled across the floor. A towel was bunched up by the door, still damp, leading him to assume she had bathed. Hatter heard Dormouse enter his office again and he turned to hold up one finger. "I'll be out in a bit… I need to take care of some things." Dormouse sat down on the couch in his office and dozed off.

He entered the bedroom, softly shutting the door behind him. Hatter tiptoed to the back of the room, gathering up the blankets and bringing them over to the bed where he draped them over her and sat down beside her.

Cheshire's eyes snapped open as she felt the edge of the mattress sink in as he sat down beside her sleeping form. "I told you to go away."

"No, it's freezing cold and I'm not about to feel guilty for having you shiver all night," he growled. Her piercing green gaze found his eyes in the dark and she sat up, challenging him to try and continue to mother her. "Goodnight Miss Cheshire." His husky breath danced across her face and she instinctively tilted her chin upwards. At that moment his lips collided with her cheek and Cheshire drew back in surprise. She heard the floorboards creak as he quickly stood up and began to walk away.

"Get back here."

Hatter chuckled softly, turned on his heel and crept back to Cheshire's bed. "Dormouse will be suspicious if I'm not out in a second…" he murmured in her ear.

"Stay here, and that's an order." Hatter's grin was visible even in the lack of light. "You can't tell me to fuck off when I treat you like a lady and then order me around when you want me. That's not how it works, darlin'." She pushed away the blankets and stared at him. "Then I'll freeze and it will be all your fault." He kept smiling at her. Her glare hardened. _Persistent, he is… Why won't he just give up and leave me?_

"You've got to learn to make up your mind, girl. You're just about as mad as a box of frogs." He knelt down on the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her frigid frame. He bundled her up against the blankets she had shoved away earlier and lay down. Her hands made their way to his chest as he nestled his face in her hair, sighing. The smell of the Tulgey Wood mingled with the smell of the soap she had washed herself thoroughly with and the combination made something stir in his stomach.

"Hatter?"

"Mhm?" he mumbled, looking down at her. "What's wrong?"

"That… girl… Is she someone… special?" She felt his lips twitch against her head.

"An old customer who had too much to drink…" She was quiet for a while before mumbling something along the lines of "I'm sorry." They lay still for a while, her breaths coming in spasmodic little gasps before speaking again.

"Why do you continue to put up with me? All I do is argue with you and cause trouble." Hatter chuckled before bringing his lips to her ear.

"I only do it, Miss Cheshire, because you captivate me." As much as she pressed for him to reassure her even more, he refused to say anything else. She let out a disgruntled growl and kissed his collarbone. "Prove it," she said, twisting her fingers in the silken fabric of his paisley shirt. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her jeans, brushing against her skin and making her twitch. She hadn't had anyone invade this much of her personal space before. His lips groped around her cheek until they found hers and he hungrily pulled her closer, eliminating all space between them. Cheshire's fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and as soon as the last one popped open, she ran her hands along the bulletproof vest underneath.

"There's going to be a little problem here if this doesn't come off…" she purred, leaving a trail of kisses along his neck. He sat up and let the shirt and vest fall to the ground. He shivered and she smirked. "You're cute when you're cold." He pulled the covers back over him and unzipped the purple sweater she refused to ever remove under any circumstances except for laundry day. The thick material was pushed off her shoulders and discarded in a corner of the bed. His hands lingered on her hips as he hesitated, not knowing what to do next. She urged him on with a few kisses in the hollow of his neck and his hands found themselves under her shirt, fiddling with the bra clasp.

"There's going to be an even bigger problem if _this_ doesn't come off… How many clasps are there on this damn thing?" His warm hands against her cool skin were making her go crazy and she pressed herself against him. Hatter shifted his attention to her pants again, slipping his fingers under the waistband. She stiffened and he waited for a signal for him to continue. She seemed to not get the message and he kissed her cheek.

"Don't stop, keep going." Her breathing was already becoming uneven and it only made Hatter more nervous. He fumbled with the button on her pants and she lifted her hips for him to pull them down. Cheshire kicked her pants off, leaving them in a pile at their feet and moved on to removing his pants. Their lips met and parted, his tongue carefully exploring the depths of her mouth. He bucked his hips slightly, unwillingly as her hands brushed against his happy trail and moved to unbutton his slacks. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her with more fervent passion than before. The button was out of the way and she curved herself, molding her body into the shape he made with his own.

The two of them lay there with the smallest bits of clothing separating them from total release of all the emotional build up inside of them. Hatter rolled her over on to her back so he looked down on her and brought his face down until their noses were touching. She felt him stiffen underneath his boxers and smiled to herself. Her fingers intertwined with his and he kissed her nose.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and pushed his hips down over hers. She continued to kiss his neck, occasionally letting her tongue slip out and touch his bare flesh as he lifted her hips to slip her underwear down around her ankles. His boxers were pulled off in a matter of seconds by her hands without giving him much time to think.

"Cheshire? I.. I - " she cut him off with yet another kiss, pushing him to penetrate her untouched sanctuary. He let out a quiet moan and shifted between her thighs. A deep purr rumbled in her throat as he entered, but she tensed all the muscles in her body as he pushed through the delicate barrier she had preserved for almost nineteen years. Cheshire let out a soft cry, which only made him pull her closer. Once they found a joined rhythm, everything seemed to fall into place. Her head spun every time Hatter planted a kiss on her neck, making her pulse rush and heart throb even harder than before.

The intense, heated passion eventually cooled into comforting warmth, with Cheshire asleep in Hatter's embrace.


End file.
